The present invention relates to a gripping element for gripping plastic containers and in particular preforms. Such preforms are used in the prior art to be expanded during the production process to form plastic containers, such as PET bottles. During this production process, the plastic preforms are first heated and then expanded in a blowing machine. During this heating process, the preforms are transported by gripping elements.
It is known from the prior art to provide gripping elements which engage in a mouth of these preforms in order to hold the latter. However, different preforms or also different types of preforms sometimes have slightly different internal cross-sections or internal diameters of the mouths and/or bottle necks. But such different diameters can lead to the situation whereby gripping elements cannot pick up some containers since the mouth cross-sections thereof are too small, and other preforms slip off these gripping elements. The gripping elements known to date from the prior art are only able to handle diameter tolerances in the range of +/−0.2 mm.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a gripping element which can handle greater tolerances with regard to the performs and the mouth diameters thereof.